Float displays fine in DW but not in browsers

Question

I'm not posting any code at this stage as I realise this may be a very simple question!
I have a simple panel with an image and some text floated around it.  This displays fine in the Dreamweaver 8 Design view, but in both IE8 and Firefox, the text does not float, but appears below the image.
Is this something obvious, or should I post further details?
Thanks.

Answer 1

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Thanks, Nancy - I would have done so, but had big problems getting through to a lot of major web sites in the US last night, so couldn't use the forum.  OK this morning, and have noted the blank posts.  Thanks to a FAQ I now realise that I can't use "Xxxx wrote:" in an e-mail post, nor use a line of dashes as separators - both of which I did in my replies!  Ho hum...
So, now that I'm back in contact, the answer to your questions is yes - I think so!  Time for some code:
#container {
    width: 56%;
    height: 1480px;
    position: absolute;
    border: none;
    top: 40px;
    left: 9%;    
    background-color: #FFFFFF;
    clear: both;
.longshot {
    float: left;
    width: 262px;
    <div id="container">
      <img class="longshot" src="Photos/LongShotVignette3.jpg" />
      <p>Quite why the property is called &quot;Lo Sixto&quot; is  lost in the mists of time, but there were certainly five popes of  that name, the latest of whom lived during the 15th century.</p>
      <p> </p>
    </div>
I realise the answer is probably trivial, but I have picked up Dreamweaver again after a long break (hence v 8!) and to say I am rusty would be an understatement!
Phil